Knife assembly



Feb. 21, 1967 ,R,U S HEL 3,304,975

KNIFE ASSEMBLY Filed May 26, 1966 Pg ls 4 u INVENTOR. Joe R. URSCHEL ATTO NEY United States Patent 3,304,975 KNIFE ASSEMBLY Joe R. Urschel, 202 Michigan Ave., Valparaiso, Ind. 46383 Filed May 26, 1966, Ser. No. 553,132 8 Claims. (Cl. 146-86) The subject invention relates generally to knife structures and more particularly is directed to a knife assembly for cutting or snipping off the ends of string beans which are adapted to protrude outwardly through peripheral openings in a cylinder or drum when the latter is rotated.

Machines for generally accomplishing the above are exemplified, for example, in my Patent No. 2,705,516, dated April 5, 1955 and in my two pending applications, Serial Nos. 371,587 and 461,713.

The subject invention, among other things, is directed to a knife assembly which includes unique improvements over those embodied in the patent and applications above referred to.

More specifically, an important object of the invention is to provide an assembly comprising a structure for supporting knives and unique resiliently flexible means in the form of a single leaf spring which is utilized to cause the knives to correctively and effectively engage a rotatable cylinder Without chattering for efliciently cutting the ends off the beans. I

A significant object of the invention is to provide an assembly in which the leaf spring will allow the assembly to automatically retract and correctly reengage the cylin der without damaging the assembly and/or the surface of the cylinder when, for example, a knife strikes a hard object caught in one of the openings provided in the cylinder. 7

Another important object of the invention is to provide an assembly of the above described character with attaching means which offers advantages with respect to connecting and adjusting the assembly relative to a mounting or support.

Other objects of the invention reside in providing structure which offers improvements with respect to manufacture, efficiency and durability.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent after the description hereinafter set forth is considered in conjunction with the drawings annexed hereto.

I In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a knife assembly embodying the invention carried by a support and operatively associated witha cylinder, with'only a portion of the support and cylinder being shown;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the structure as viewed from the line 2-2 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a top view of the assembly as viewed from the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a view as depicted from the line 4-4 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 5 is a transverse section taken substantially on line 5-5 of FIGURE 1.

Referring to FIGURE 1 of the drawing, there is disclosed a rotatable cylinder 1 and a knife assembly 2 which is operatively associated with the cylinder. In practice, as exemplified in the patent and applications above referred to, a plurality of substantially corresponding knife assemblies is utilized, but only one assembly is depicted in the drawings of the subject application.

The cylinder is provided with rows of circumferentially spaced openings or slots 3 through which the ends of the string beans may be caused to protrude outwardly when the cylinder is rotated.

The knife assembly, as exemplified herein, comprises a structure generally designated 4 supporting a plurality of bers and bar.

a cylinder.

Patented Feb. 21, 1967 "ice three knives 5, attaching means generally designated 6 for detachably connecting the assembly to a horizontal mounting or cylindrical support 7 disposed alongside the cylinder and resiliently flexible means in the form of a single leaf spring 8 which is detachably connected to the knife supporting structure 4 and the attaching means 6.

The knife supporting structure 4, which will now be described, may be designed and constructed in various ways but, as illustrated, it is in the form of an articulated frame, preferably cast, and comprises an elongate rigid bar 9 and a plurality of three substantially correspond ing equally spaced elongate members 10 and a pair of apertured offsets 11 provided with planar seat means 12 (one shown) for an enlarged apertured extremity 13 of the spring 8. A pair of fastening means, such as bolts 14,'

an upper relatively long extremity and a shorter lower extremity.

It will be noted that the rear side of each of the members is provided with a concave seat 15 which extends throughout the full length of the member at an inclination 4 with respect to its longitudinal axis. The upper extremity of each of the members is preferably reinforced by a longitudinally extending generally triangular rib 16 which merges into the bar 9 in order to impart strength to the members as well as to the connections between the mem- The ends of the members 10 are provided with apertures 17 (one shown) and fastening means preferably in the form of bolts 18 which extend through the apertures 17 and through apertures 19 (one shown) provided in the extremities of the knives 5, as best depicted in FIGURE 5. Each of the knives 5 is preferably resiliently flexible, of uniform thickness, rectangular and of a width and length somewhat greater than the width and length of each of the members 10, as shown in FIGURE 1. Each knife is also preferably bevelled at its ends as indicated at 20 and includes an elongate sharpened edge for engaging the periphery of the cylinder and a lower end which is bent or angled outwardly, as indicated at 22 whereby to prevent the knives from gouging into the The resiliently flexible means 8 is preferably in the form of a single or individual fiat or planar spring of uniform thickness. This spring is substantially uniformly resiliently flexible throughout the major portion of its length and is relatively wide in order to impart stability thereto as well as the knife supporting structure in its rela tion to the cylinder. The upper extremity of the spring is enlarged at 13 as stated above and its lower extremity is similarly enlarged as at 23 and provided with apertures for receiving fasteners 35, as will be described more in detail subsequently. It will be observed that the upper extremity 13 of the spring is preferably slightly offset as indicated at 24 whereby to assist in maintaining the knives in a correct attitude for operative relationship with respect to the cylinder.

The attaching means generally designated 6 may be designed and constructed in various ways but, as illustrated herein, it preferably comprises a substantially semicylindrical rigid block generally designated 25 having an inner substantially semicylindrical surface 26 of appreciable area for receiving and engaging the cylindrical surface of the support 7 and a substantially U-shaped element 27 having an arcuate or curved portion 28 disposed opposite the surface 26 and parallel threaded extremities or legs 29 carrying nuts 30. The block is preferably provided with apair of external substantially diametrically disposed chordal parallel integral reinforcements 31 having holes extending longitudinally therethrough which receive the legs 29 of the element. It will be observed that the legs of the element substantially extend through the wall of the block as evidenced in FIGURE 2. One side of the block is preferably provided with an offset which includes a lateral portion 32 and a portion 33 which extends perpendicular to the portion 32 and is provided with an inner planar surface or seat 34 and a pair of longitudinally spaced apertures through which a pair of fasteners, preferably in the form of bolts 35 extends.

In view of the foregoing, it will be manifest that the nuts of the bolts 35 may be readily loosened and tightened to enable an operator to correctly adjust and firmly secure the attaching means on the support 7 so that the spring will apply sufficient pressure to cause all of the edges of the knives to uniformly and correctly intimately engage the periphery of the cylinder for efficiently cutting off the ends of the beans. The spring, due to its uniform thickness, substantially uniform relatively wide width throughout the major portion of its length and enlarged extremities is rendered relatively stable and efficient for substantially everlasting use in maintaining the knife supporting structure in a correct stabilized operative relationship to the cylinder and at the same time afford a setup whereby the structure may be automatically retracted and reengaged with the cylinder. Moreover, the arrangement serves to cause the knives to smoothly engage the cylinder without chatter. 4

Having thus described my invention, it is obvious that various modifications may be made in the same without departing from the spirit of the invention and, therefore, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact form, construction, arrangement, and combination of parts herein shown and described.

I claim:

1. An assembly of the kind described comprising attaching means whereby said assembly may be connected to a mounting, an elongate bar provided with a plurality of angularly disposed members provided with concave seats for respectively receiving elongate knives and with seat means, an elongate leaf spring which is of substantially uniform thickness and substantially uniform width throughout the major portion of its length and has extremities, means connecting one of said extremities to said seat means, and means connecting its other extremity to said attaching means.

2. The assembly defined in claim 1, in which said concave seats extend substantially throughout the length of said members at inclinations with respect to the longitudinal axis of said members, elongate knives longer than the length of said members engage said seats, and means extend through the extremities of said knives and the extremities of said members for securing said knives in lace.

p 3. The assembly defined in claim 1, in which there are three members and the seat means is located between the outermost of said members and opposite a portion of an intermediate member.

4. The assembly defined in claim 1, in which said attaching means comprises a substantially semicylindrical block having a bearing area and a pair of parallel apertures disposed transversely to and on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis of said block, an element having a curved portion disposed opposite said bearing surface and legs extending through said apertures, and fasteners on said legs whereby a support may be clamped between said area and said curved portion.

5. The assembly defined in claim 1, in which the extremities of said spring are enlarged and secured to the attaching means and said seat means.

6. The assembly defined in claim 1, in which said members have long extremities and short extremities extending laterally from said bar and said long extremities are reinforcibly joined to said bar.

7. The assembly defined in claim 1, in which said members are offset with respect to said bar and elongate knives having widths and lengths greater than the width and length of said concave seats, are secured against said seats.

8. An attaching means of the character described comprising a substantially semicylindrical block provided with an internal substantially semicircular bearing area and having a pair of opposed sides respectively provided with diametrically disposed parallel apertures, one of said sides being provided with an offset having a seat extending substantially the full length of the block, an elongate leaf spring having an enlarged extremity at one end secured against said seat and an opposite extremity for supporting a frame for carrying knives, a substantially shaped element having a curved portion disposed opposite said bearing area and a pair of parallel legs extending through said apertures and provided with threaded ends, and nuts carried by said threaded ends for manipulation whereby a support may be clamped between the said bearing area and said curved portion of said element.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,102,567 9/1963 Hamilton 14686 WILLIAM W. DYER, 1a., Primary Examiner. W. GRAYDON ABERCROMBIE, Examiner. 

1. AN ASSEMBLY OF THE KIND DESCRIBED COMPRISING ATTACHING MEANS WHEREBY SAID ASSEMBLY MAY BE CONNECTED TO A MOUNTING, AN ELONGATE BAR PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF ANGULARLY DISPOSED MEMBERS PROVIDED WITH CONCAVE SEATS FOR RESPECTIVELY RECEIVING ELONGATE KNIVES AND WITH SEAT MEANS, AN ELONGATE LEAF SPRING WHICH IS OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM THICKNESS AND SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM WIDTH THROUGHOUT THE MAJOR PORTION OF ITS LENGTH AND HAS EXTREMITIES, MEANS CONNECTING ONE OF SAID EXTREMITIES TO 